Ecology Overview Quiz

Definition: The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Levels of Ecology:
- Organismal Ecology: Focuses on individual organisms and their adaptations.
- Population Ecology: Studies groups of individuals of the same species.
- Community Ecology: Examines interactions between different species in a community.
- Ecosystem Ecology: Looks at energy flow and nutrient cycling among living and non-living components.
- Landscape Ecology: Explores spatial patterns and their effects on ecological processes.
- Global Ecology: Investigates large-scale ecological phenomena.

Ecosystem: A biological community interacting with its physical environment.
Habitat: The natural home or environment where an organism lives.
Niche: The role or function of an organism within its ecosystem, including its habitat, resource use, and relationships with other organisms.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Water Cycle: Movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
Carbon Cycle: Involves carbon fixation, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.
Nitrogen Cycle: Includes nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.

Population Size: Number of individuals in a population.
Carrying Capacity: Maximum population size that an environment can sustain.
Growth Models:
- Exponential Growth: Unrestricted growth in a suitable environment (J-shaped curve).
- Logistic Growth: Growth that levels off as it approaches carrying capacity (S-shaped curve).

Predation: Interaction where one organism (predator) feeds on another (prey).
Competition: Struggle between organisms for the same resource (intraspecific and interspecific).
Symbiosis: Close ecological relationships between different species:
- Mutualism: Both species benefit.
- Commensalism: One species benefits, the other is unaffected.
- Parasitism: One species benefits at the expense of the other.

Primary Succession: Occurs in lifeless areas (e.g., after a volcanic eruption).
Secondary Succession: Follows disturbances in previously inhabited areas (e.g., after a forest fire).

Conservation Biology: Focuses on preserving biodiversity and preventing extinction.
Sustainable Practices: Promote resource use that meets present needs without compromising future generations.
Ecosystem Services: Benefits provided by ecosystems, including provisioning (food, water), regulating (climate, disease), cultural (recreation, spiritual), and supporting services (nutrient cycling, soil formation).

Definition of ecology: Study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Levels of ecology:
- Organismal ecology examines individual organisms and their adaptations.
- Population ecology focuses on groups of individuals of the same species.
- Community ecology studies interactions between different species within a community.
- Ecosystem ecology analyzes energy flow and nutrient cycling among biotic and abiotic components.
- Landscape ecology explores spatial patterns and their effects on ecological processes.
- Global ecology investigates ecological phenomena on a large scale.

Ecosystem: A biological community that interacts with its physical environment.
Habitat: The natural environment where an organism lives.
Niche: The role of an organism within its ecosystem, encompassing habitat, resource use, and relationships with other organisms.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in a habitat, including species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity.

Water cycle: Involves processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
Carbon cycle: Includes carbon fixation, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.
Nitrogen cycle: Comprises nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.

Population size: The total number of individuals in a population.
Carrying capacity: The maximum population size that an environment can support sustainably.
Growth models:
- Exponential growth represents unrestricted growth in favorable conditions, forming a J-shaped curve.
- Logistic growth occurs when growth levels off as population approaches carrying capacity, resulting in an S-shaped curve.

Predation: The relationship where the predator feeds on the prey.
Competition: The struggle for resources between organisms, categorized into intraspecific and interspecific competition.
Symbiosis: Ecological relationships between different species, which can be:
- Mutualism: Both species benefit.
- Commensalism: One species benefits while the other remains unaffected.
- Parasitism: One species benefits at the cost of another.

Primary succession: The establishment of ecosystems in lifeless areas, such as post-volcanic eruptions.
Secondary succession: Occurs in previously inhabited areas following disturbances like forest fires.

Conservation biology aims to preserve biodiversity and prevent species extinction.
Sustainable practices advocate for the responsible use of resources to meet current needs without compromising future generations.
Ecosystem services: Benefits provided by ecosystems, which include:
- Provisioning services: Food and water supply.
- Regulating services: Climate regulation and disease control.
- Cultural services: Recreational and spiritual benefits.
- Supporting services: Nutrient cycling and soil formation.